"I made one up for her," said Zirek, "but no one said anything about a tarpli and I didn't care to put myself forward among these officers with their fine ways."
She took him by the hand and led him up to the edge of the pyre, until the heat forced them to a halt.
"Now sing it."
He hesitated. "It's not like a real tarpli--not like they generally are. But--I don't know--some god put it into my mind."
"Then he must have done it for Meris. Give it to her, go on. I'm stood here: I won't let anyone stop you."
Zirek, raising his arms as in prayer, began to sing. His voice was true and sure and after the first line or two rang out with a confidence which carried its own authority. Be-fore the close many of the dispersing onlookers had turned back to listen and he, perceiving this, repeated his thren-ody from the beginning.
"The swift, black river withers in its banks,
Buried in gaunt trees, blind to the sun.
Only a deep chattering of stones Tells where the cold fingers of current run.
And faint ghosts of bones that lie in the wood
Flicker and cackle together among the branches.
Two green eyes move silently to drink,
Crouching on huge, imagined haunches.
A noise of running, and startled birds fly up
In the distance. What was that, that suddenly cried?
Footsteps . . . Only the river pouring down.
And the dumb, warlock forest stretched beside.
Now I remember how, in that still town,
They told of a girl wandering till she died."
In the succeeding silence, Maia stood for some moments as unstirring as though it had indeed been a god who had devised the words. Then, turning to Zirek, she flung her arms round his neck, clinging to him and weeping. This strange, oblique lament had pierced her as no conventional elegy for Meris could have done. He stood quietly, suffering her thus to reciprocate what he had offered. The people went away once more and they werejeft alone.
At length, looking up, she saw Anda-Nokomis beside them. He took Zirek's hand in his own.
"The tarpli, was it?"
"Yes, sir."
"That's well done. I'm to blame: I overlooked it. But you didn't, so all's as it should be."
He waited without impatience while Maia recovered herself and dried her eyes. Then he said, "Elleroth wants to see the four of us. There's no hurry; whenever you're ready."
"I'm ready, Anda-Nokomis," said Maia.
95: DESTINATIONS
Elleroth, having nodded to the servant to leave them, looked up at his four guests.
"The dead are at peace," he said. "We have to believe that." No one spoke and he went on, "I can't imagine the gods being very hard on that poor girl, can you? It's been a miserable business; I hope that at least you're able to feel that everything's been done decently and properly."
"Yes," replied Bayub-Otal. "We're all well satisfied as far as that goes. It was most good of you, with so much else on your hands."
"No, we're the people who feel under an obligation," said Elleroth, "and as far as we're concerned it's not discharged yet. I need to know what you want to do now, so that we can help you to do it. But before we come to that, may I ask you, Serrelinda, to do me the honor of accepting this little keepsake on behalf of me and my men?"
It was his own neck-chain, with the silver corn-sheaves emblem.
Maia's lips trembled. Yet as one might have expected, the Serrelinda, who had been presented to King Karnat dressed in golden lilies and given a tress of her own hair to Durakkon in the Caravan Market, was equal to this moment also. Having returned the Sarkid commander's smiling gaze for a moment, she bowed her head in a silent gesture of recognition and gratitude as demure as any vir-gin acolyte of the Thlela. As she did so he bent forward, placed the chain round her neck and centered the emblem at her bosom.
"He knew neither his father nor his mother,"
murmured Elleroth.
"Among strangers he labored as a slave,
An exile in a country not his own,
The Lord Deparioth, God's appointed sword."
This was part of the traditional lament for the hero Deparioth, known as "The Tears of Sarkid." Maia could only guess that Anda-Nokomis must have told him her story.
She raised her head. "Thank you, my lord." Running her fingers down the chain, she closed her hand on the corn-sheaves emblem. "It's just over my heart: I reckon that's the right place for it, don't you?"
They all laughed delightedly, and as she sat down Zirek stooped and kissed her shoulder.
"Well," said Elleroth briskly, "as I've said, you shall have every help from us. U-Zirek, let's take you first, shall we; for I rather think there's not much doubt about you, is there? You'd like a safe-conduct to Santil, wouldn't you?"
"Thank you very much, my lord," replied Zirek. "Y
es, that would take care of everything as far as I'm concerned."
"It's not thirty miles to my father's estate in Sarkid," said Elleroth. "You've only to get there in one piece to be treated to all you deserve--he'll be more than delighted when he learns who you are--and from there you should easily be able to reach Santil in two days."
"Well, I'll make so bold as to tell your father, my lord, what I think of his son."
"I fear that he may tell you," said Elleroth, "what he thinks of an heir who goes off freebooting with Santil without asking either consent or blessing--which he knew he wouldn't get, of course. But that won't affect my father's hospitality, I can assure you. Give him my dutiful greetings and tell him to expect me back when Bekla's fallen. And now, Lord Anda-Nokomis, what are your plans?"
"The Ban of Suba," he replied, "has a duty to get back there as quickly as he can."
"That's what I thought you'd say, and I can only applaud. However, has it occurred to you that under present conditions, the most feasible route may unavoidably be circuitous--not to say ambagious, periphrastic and an-fractuous? In a word, have you considered going back to Suba via Bekla? We'd be only too delighted for you to join us."
"I'm honored, Elleroth, and thank you. My own people will follow a one-handed man because they owe allegiance to his legendary mother's son, but I don't think I could reasonably expect the same of your men."
"Anda-Nokomis, I could do with a really knowledgeable, competent chief of staff. Can't I tempt you?"
"I'm sorry, Elleroth, to disappoint you, but I've thought about this very carefully, and I'm certain that my best chance of getting back to Suba is to make for Nybril and try to come by a boat."
Elleroth nodded. "You're right, I dare say. An epitaph, on my behalf--no chief of staff. So be it. But Captain Zen-Kurel, surely I can tempt you, can't I? We really do stand in need of another experienced, able company commander. Since Chalcon we've lost two or three senior officers we could very ill spare. Won't you come with us and help to cut Kembri to pieces?"